Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to methods of forming patterns and methods of manufacturing display panels using the same. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the invention relates to methods of forming patterns utilizing an overlapping partial exposure process, and a method of manufacturing a display panel using the same.
Discussion of the Background
As sizes of display devices increase, a partial exposure process is applied to form a pattern on a substrate by dividing the substrate into several regions. In the partial exposure process, a unit of an exposure process performed using a mask may be referred to as a shot and an exposed portion of a substrate corresponding to one shot may be referred to as a shot region.
However, a distortion of the shot such as a transition, rotation and twisting may occur during the partial exposure process, a boundary region between adjacent shot regions may be misaligned, and a stitch failure may be caused in the boundary region during the partial exposure process. When the stitch failure is generated the boundary region, a visibility of the boundary may be increased and deteriorate a quality of an image displayed on a display device. Further, when substantially the same exposure processes is performed for forming patterns at different levels in manufacturing the display device, a stitch failure generated in the boundary regions may be accumulated at the different levels, such that a larger stitch failure may be finally caused in certain regions of the display device.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to those ordinary skilled in the art.